President Ranil Wickremesinghe set to resolve economic crisis and boost country’s economy – Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan

State Minister for Rural Roads Development,  Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan expressed confidence in President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ability to lead the country out of the economic crisis and onto the right track. He emphasized that with the people’s support, the President would be able to build a strong economy if re-elected.

Additionally, Chandrakanthan noted that the President has directed the allocation of around Rs.03 billion for the immediate repair of roads damaged by the recent flood due to adverse weather conditions.

The State Minister made these remarks while addressing the press briefing themed “Collective Path to a Stable Country” held at the Presidential Media Centre today (04).

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Procurement of fake immunoglobulin: Keheliya, seven others re-remanded

Maligakanda Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrema yesterday (03) further remanded former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and seven others, including one-time Health Secretary Janaka Chandragupta, held in connection with the procurement of fake immunoglobulin vials.

The CID arrested Rambukwella on 02 Feb. At the time of his arrest, he served as the Environment Minister.

The Maligakanda Magistrate remanded the eight suspects until 14 June pending further investigations.

The court yesterday also ordered the release of the fourth suspect in the case on cash bail of Rs. 100,000, with two sureties of Rs. 500,000 each. Earlier, the court granted bail to the fifth suspect.

Among those arrested and remanded for their alleged involvement in the scam is Hewage Sudath Janaka Fernando, the owner of Isolez Biotech Pharma. Police arrested him on 31 Oct 31 2023.

Kandy District SLPP MP Keheliya Rambukwella served as the Health Minister at the time of the scam and was shifted to the Environment Ministry, following media exposure of his involvement.

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Anrich Nortje’s 4 for 7 sets up South Africa win on tricky New York pitch

South Africa opened their T20 World Cup campaign in authoritative fashion by bowling Sri Lanka out for their lowest total in the format and chasing 78 runs inside 17 overs to secure two points. At the first official T20I match to be played at the newly-created stadium at Eisenhower Park, we learnt more about the conditions than either of the two sides. The surface is tricky to bat on, there’s inconsistent bounce, not much turn and the venue has big square boundaries, which are difficult to breach.

Sri Lanka chose to bat first and were on the back foot almost immediately. Their powerplay yielded just 24 runs, and they had their lowest ten-over score: 40 for 5. South Africa’s four-seam attack adapted to conditions quickly, went fuller upfront, varied pace well and were disciplined. Their headliner was Anrich Nortje who put in his best performance since returning from a stress fracture that sidelined him from the international game for almost nine months. Nortje’s 4 for 7, his career-best figures, was embroidered with high-class pace – he touched 150kph – and excellent use of the slower ball. He was complemented by World Cup debutant Ottenil Baartman,who bowled 20 dot balls in total, the joint-most by a bowler in an innings at a T20 World Cup, equalling Ajantha Mendis against Zimbabwe in 2012.

As a result of the South Africans combined efforts, only three Sri Lankan batters got into double figures, and only one partnership – their seventh-wicket stand between Dasun Shanaka and Angelo Mathews – was worth more than 20. They’ll rue not getting another 20 or 30 runs because that could have made things really tricky for South Africa. At 58 for 4 in the 13th over, 100 would have been a tough ask but 78 was within reach. Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller took them home with 22 balls to spare.

In all, 127 out of the 214 balls faced by the batters in this game were dots, the most dots in a Men’s T20 World Cup game.

Dreams do come true and Baartman is living proof of that. After a decade in the domestic system with little recognition and a dalliance with giving up cricket for a career in the South African National Defence Force, he was the SA20’s leading wicket taker this season until the final, when Marco Jansen leapfrogged him, and earned a call-up to the T20 World Cup squad. Before last month, he had never even been out of South Africa but if the magnitude of the occasion overwhelmed him you’d never have known. Given the ball in the fourth over, Baartman saw the lengths Jansen employed and delivered his first one full and wide. Pathum Nissanka sensed an opportunity to clear deep third but got a thick edge to Heinrich Klaasen and made Baartman the first South African bowler, and 18th overall, to take a wicket with his opening delivery at a World Cup.

Ottneil Baartman struck with his first ball [ICC]

The numbers – 11 T20 matches since comeback from a stress fracture in March, 40 overs, 449 runs, nine wickets – suggested picking Nortje was a risk but the coach, Rob Walter, believed otherwise. He backed Nortje’s selection based on his raw pace and the ability to vary it, and Nortje justified his backing in spectacular fashion. Brought on as the fifth bowler, after the powerplay, Nortje followed what he saw his fellow quicks doing and resisted the short ball for fuller lengths. He was rewarded with his fifth ball as Kamindu Mendis tried to flick him over square leg but the shot lacked power and found Reeza Hendricks instead. Kusal Mendis tried to clear a 150kph ball over the big square boundary but was well-caught by Tristan Stubbs, looking into the sun. Charith Asalanka went the same way as Kamindu, and Angelo Mathews was rushed into the hook shot and top-edged. Nortje finished with impeccable figures of 4 for 7.

Brief scores:
South Africa 80 for 4 in 16.2 overs (Quinton De Kock 20, Heinrich Clssen 19*; Wanidu Hasaranga 2-22, Dasun Shanaka 1-06, Nuwan Thushara 1-18, ) beat Sri Lanka 77 in 1.1 overs  (Kusal Mendis 19, Angelo Mathews 16; Anrich  Nortje 4-07, Kagiso Rabada 2-21, Keshav Maharaj 2-22, Otneil Baartman 1-09) by six wickets

[Cricinfo]

 

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Under new captain Aqib Ilyas, Oman take on Namibia in a battle of equals

Playing in their third consecutive T20 World Cup, Namibia will be looking to build on impressive previous showings. In 2021, they had surprised many by qualifying for Super 12s – at the expense of Ireland and Netherlands – and in 2022 they beat Sri Lanka in the first round, but fell short of progressing.

They made it to T20 World Cup 2024 by dominating the Africa qualifier, winning all six of their games. With England and Australia also in their group, they will know that their best shot at the Super 8s involves beating Oman and Scotland and then pulling off an upset.

But Oman, their first opponents, could offer tough competition. When the two teams faced off in a five-match T20I series in April, Oman ran Namibia close, with Namibia eventually sealing a 3-2 win.

Oman, also making their third T20 World Cup appearance, come into the tournament with momentum on their side. They reached the ACC Premier Cup final, winning five games on the trot, although they lost to UAE in the final. They have a new captain for this World Cup, with Aqib Ilyas replacing the experienced Zeeshan Maqsood in the role.

In the spotlight – David Wiese and Aqib Ilyas

David Wiese one of the biggest reasons behind Namibia’s impressive campaign in 2021, has since become a T20 globetrotter, playing in several franchise leagues including the IPL, the Hundred and the PSL. He has also played the CPL and MLC, giving him a feel of the conditions on offer by T20 World Cup’s two hosts. Namibia would hope that the experience he has gained over the last few years will set him up for a good campaign, as he is key to their plans with bat and ball.

Aqib Ilyas, apart from being a top-order batter, is also a more-than-handy spinner. He was the leading wicket-taker in the ACC Premier Cup with 12 scalps from five matches at an economy of 6.22. In the series decider against Namibia,  he picked up 2 for 21 from three overs and then struck a 29-ball 51 in an unsuccessful chase of 213. Namibia will be wary of the threat he poses, but how he deals with the added responsibility of leading the team will have to be seen.

Namibia (probable XI): Nikolas Davin, Jean-Pierre Kotze, Michael van Lingen, Gerhard Erasmus (capt), JJ Smit, David Wiese,  Jan Frylinck, Zane Green (wk),  Ruben Trumpelmann,  Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo

Oman (probable XI): Kashyap Prajapati, Naseem Khushi (wk), Aqib Ilyas (capt), Zeeshan Maqsood, Pratik Athavale (wk),  Ayaan Khan,  Khalid Kail,  Shakeel Ahmad,  Rafiullah,  Fayyaz Butt,  Bilal Khan

[Cricinfo]

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Donald Trump reveals what he really thinks about going to jail in defiant statement

Donald Trump vowed he "won't beg" to stay out of jail when he is sentenced next month over his criminal hush money payments to ex-porn star Stormy Daniels.

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Stormy Daniels says Trump is 'utterly out of touch with reality' as she breaks silence

Stormy Daniels has spoken out for the first time in an exclusive interview.

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Health officials trigger infectious disease warning after traveller tests positive

Officials said the passenger likely picked up the infection while travelling in Europe.

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